The present invention relates to methods for manufacturing columns and for reinforcing members in a metal fiber reinforced concrete sleeve. In one embodiment, the latter method may be used for repairing support members such as beams, struts, braces, etc., which have become fractured, cracked or otherwise weakened over a period of time. In another embodiment it may be used to secure vessels used to store hazardous waste.
Metal fiber reinforced cementitious composites have been described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,429,094 to Romualdi, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,986,885, 4,366,255 and 4,513,040 to Lankard, U.S. Pat. No. 4,617,219 to Schupak, U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,955 to Constantinesco, and commonly assigned copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/851,647, filed Mar. 16, 1992. U.S. Pat. No. 4,996,019 relates to a container for the storage of nuclear waste made from a concrete reinforced by metal fibers.
Concrete columns are commonly used as an upright support for superstructures such as highway overpasses, bridges and the like. These columns are typically constructed by filling a cylindrical form having a network of rebar mounted therein with a concrete composition, allowing the composition to cure, and removing the form.
Concrete support members such as beams, girders, struts, braces, etc. are employed to impart strength and stability to a large variety of structures. Over long periods of time, these support members are subjected to heavy loads, vibrations, pressures and stresses which cause the members to weaken and fracture or crack. It has been a general practice to replace these weakened supports with new members, particularly in areas where replacement is easily accomplished. In large structures such as buildings, bridges, highway ramps, etc., which use steel reinforced concrete as support members, the replacement of these members can be very time consuming and expensive. In view of modern day advancements in materials, attention is now being given to the repair of such support members rather than replacement.